Rail-clamp.



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APPLICATION FILED J LLLLLLL 1.

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.................... ....xmm.u=nunmnnhmmzmm u llll Cf? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIS S. JONES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS," ASSIGNOR, BY MESN ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE RAILROAD SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

RAI L-C LAM P.

'SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,711, dated April 7, 1903.

Application filed July 3,1901. Serial No. 66,939. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: broken away atits ends; and Fig. 3, aperspec- Be it known that I, WILLIS S. JONES, a cititive view of the parts of my invention de- 'zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, tached from lthe rail and tie. y in the county 'of Cook, State of Illinois, have Similar reference characters indicate the 5 5 Invented a certain new and useful Improvesame parts in the several figures of the drawment in Rail-Clamps; and I declare the folings. lowing to be a full, clear, and exact descrip- Reference character A indicates a rail of tion of the invention, such as will enable common form consisting of a tread portion, others skilled in the art to which it pertains to a web, aud a base a.' v 6o 1o make and use the same, reference being had B indicates a cross-tie, which may be of to the accompanying drawings, which form a any desired material.

part of this specification. C indicates a base-plate,vwhich is adapted My invention relates in general to fastento be secured to the tie at the point where the ing devices for securing the rails of a railroad rail is to be located. This plate is provided 65 to the ties, and more particularly to that with an inclined projecting portion or Wedge' class of such devices in which the rails are sec, such portion gradually rising from the upcured to the ties without the use of spikes. per surface of the plate toward one of the It hasbeen found impossible in laying unedges thereof. Shoulders c'are provided on dergroundrailroadstosecuretherailstocross the plate C at a distance from the wedge c 7o 2o ties in the usual manner-namely, by drivingY corresponding approximately to the width of spikes into the ties on each side of the base of -the base of the rail. These shoulders c are the rail, with the heads ofthe spikes overlappreferably two in number and separated ping the edges of the rail-base-inasmuch as from each other by an intermediate raised the walls of the tunnel prevent the swinging of portion c2. This raised portion declines 75 z5 a sledge necessary to deliver a blow of sufslightly, so that its edge, which is flush with icient force to drive the spikes into the ties. the vertical faces of the shoulders, is slightly This objection has rendered the use of crosslower than the upper ends of the shoulders. ties in underground railroads impracticable D indicates a clamp member, which is proand has necessitated the employment of lonvided with an inclined lower surface cor- 8o y3o gitudinally-extending strips to support the responding in inclination to the wedge c on bases of the rails. the plate C. The clamp member D is cut The object of my invention is to provide a away, soas to form a shoulder d/, rising from device for fastening rails to ties and which the lower edge of the inclined portion. The can be easily and securely applied without portion d2 projects from the shoulder d and 85 the use of spikes or nails. is inclined slightly upwardly to correspond A further object of my invention is to prowith the upper surface of the base of the rail. vide adevice of the character described which E indicates a second clamp member, which will be simple in construction, inexpensive in is fulcrumed upon the raised portion c2 of the manufacture, and eflcient in use. plate C. 4o The invention will be more fully described The under surface of the clamp member E hereinafter with reference to the accompanyis preferably slightly inclined to correspond ing drawings, in which the same isillustrated with the upper surface of the base of a rail as embodied in a convenient and practical with which it engages. v Y form, and in which- Bolt-holes c3 are provided through the plate 95 Figure 1 shows a rail secured to a tie by C, such bolt-holes passing through the lower means of my invention, the rail being shown portion of the wedge c and through the inner in elevation and broken away at its ends part of the raised portion c2. Bolt-holes es and the tie being shown in cross-section; and d8 are also provided through the clamp Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section through a rail members E and D, respectively, the hole da 10o 5o and the parts constituting my invention, the being slightly larger than the other holes for tie being shown in longitudinal section and a reason which will later appear.

The under surface of the base-plate C may be provided with projecting ribs C', which are driven into the tie to hold the plate in the desired position.

A plate F, having shoulders fat each end and bolt-holes adjacent thereto, may be located on the under side of the tie to serve as a lock for the heads of the bolts.

My invention is applied as follows: The base-plate C is fixed upon the tie at t-he point where the rail is to be located, its position being determined by a gage, so that the shoulders c will properly position the base of the rail. Bolt-holes registering with the aperture c3 in the base-plate are then made through the tie, and the bolts G are passed through the openings in the locking-plate F, through the holes in the tie, and through the openings c3 in the base-plate C. The rail is then located upon the base-plate between the wedge c and shoulders c and between the bolts G, after which the clamp member D is placed above the wedge c, the inclined surface d thereof engaging the.surface of the wedge and the enlarged opening d3 surrounding the end of the bolt G which projects above the wedge. The other clamp member E is located above the raised portion c2, with its inclined under surface in contact with the base of the rail on the opposite side thereof from the clamp member D, the aperture e3 surrounding the end of the bolt Gwhich projects above the raised portion c2. The nuts g are then turned onto the screw-threaded ends of the bolts, the bolts being prevented from turning by the engagement of their heads with the anges f of the lockingplate. When the nut on the end of the bolt above the clamp memberD is turned toward the head of the bolt, said clamp member, owing to the engagement between its inclined under surface and the wedge c on the baseplate, is drawn downwardly and at the same time inwardly. This inward movement is permitted by the opening d3, which is slightly greater in diameter than the bolt. The second clamp member E when the nut on the bolt above itis turned toward the head of the bolt is rocked slightly upon the raised portion c2 as a fulcrum, and thereby forced into close engagement with the upper surface of the base of the rail.

It is evident from the foregoing description of the manner in which my invention is applied that a rail may be readily and securely fastened to a tie without the use of nails or spikes, the base on one side of the rail being securely held between the clamp member E and the base-plate C, while the base of the rail on the opposite side is not only securely held against the base-plate, but is also forced laterally into engagement with the shoulders c', thereby accurately positioning the rail upon the tie.

While I have described more or less precisely the details of construction, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts, and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a device of the character described, the combination with a base-plate having a shoulder and a wedge gradually rising from the plate at a point distant from said shoulder substantially equal to the width of the base of a rail, of a clamp having an inclined portion engaging said wedge and a vertical shoulder rising from said inclined portion adapted to engage the base of a rail, and means for drawing,r said clamp toward said base-plate thereby forcing the base of the rail against said shoulder and also securing the rail to the base-plate, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a tie, of a base-plate having a shoulder and a wedge spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the width of the base of a rail, of a clamp having an inclined portion engaging said wedge and a vertical shoulder rising from said inclined portion adapted to engage the base of a rail, and a bolt passing through said tie and baseplate and also through an enlarged opening in the inclined portion of said clamp, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a base-plate having a shoulder and a gradually-inclined wedge on its upper surface, of a clamp having an inclined portion extending from one side thereof to approximately its center engaging said wedge and a vertical shoulder rising from the central edge of said inclined portion adapted to engage the edge and top of the base of a rail, and means for drawing said clamp toward said base-plate whereby the base of the rail is forced against said shoulder and also secured to the baseplate, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a base-plate having a shoulder and wedge on its upper surface, of a clamp having an inclined portion engaging said wedge and a shoulder adapted to engage the edge and top of the base of a rail, a sec-y ond clamp adapted to engage the top of the base on the opposite side of the rail from the first clamp, and bolts passing through said base-plate and clamps whereby the base of the rail is forced against said shoulder and also secured to the base-plate, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a tie, a rail supported thereon, a shoulder projecting above the tie with which an edge of the rail-base engages, a gradually-inclined wedge also projecting above the tie at a distance from said shoulder substantially equal to the Width of IOO IlO

the rail-base, a clamp having an inclined portion extending from one side thereof to approximately its center engaging said wedge and a vertical shoulder rising from the central edge of said inclined portion engaging the edge of a rail-base, and means for securing said shoulder and wedge to said tie and coincidently forcing said clamp through its engagement With said Wedge against the edge and top of the rail-base, substantially as described. n

6. The combination with a tie, of a rail supported thereon, a base-plate having a shoulder and a Wedge projecting from the upper surface thereof, of a clamp-plate having an inclined portion engaging said Wedge and a shoulder engaging the edge and top of the rail-base, a second clamp engaging the top of the rail-base adjacent to said shoulder-,and

`bolts passing through said tie, base-plate, and

clamps,whereby the rail-base is forced against said shoulder and together with said baseplate secured to the tie, substantially as de,

In testimony whereof I sign this specica- 35 tion in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIS S. JONES. Y

Witnesses:

GEO. L. WILKINSON, CLARA C. CUNNINGHAM. 

